This performance easily rivals the likes of 2/13, 6/24, 9/19, and 11/8. The Tigten Up jam is stunning, symphonic perfection.

Just in case it's not clear from other reviews, the Zarathustra theme was a Fillmore East thing, not a Grateful Dead thing -- probably the Joshua Light Show, and frequently played with the movie clip of the killing of King Kong -- "twas Beauty killed the Beast" -- as the visual. That probably explains the audience cheers, too: they/we tended to cheer when Kong knocked another one of the planes from the sky around the Empire State Building (a fitting NYC image).

I stayed in the East Village from the Band of Gypsy's concert New Year's Eve until this show, and the Dead lived up to the Hendrix legacy, if there was any question about that. The Dark Star is as exploratory as it gets, and although I don't think it is as good as 2/13 it definitely laid the foundation for it: on 2/13 they were "standing on the shoulders of giants" -- themselves.

The Dead always had to coax the New York audience into following the muse/music and they did it here flawlessly.

I came back for 1/3 because this was such a great, mind-bending show (their improvisations in Dark Star, which incorporated an endless variety of unexpected riffs, samba included, gave proof to the idea that they were actually exploring -- WITH the audience -- and not just going through the motions. To me this was the hallmark of the Dead from that era.)

A great show, and a great moment in the band's history.

This would be a five-star for any other band, but only the Dead could go so far beyond it that it has to be given four stars in order to allow the other, amazing concerts to be differentiated.

Love Light was the highlight to my ears.
Black Peter is excellent.

tight 11 u will c !!!!

cool jazzy sorta outtro on dark star

From 17:45 to 28:15? Beautiful! Warm feeling with flavors of Sugar Magnolia and Eyes of the World. Is this based on the 1968 thing by Archie Bell and the Drells from Houston? No disrespect to that contribution but the Dead put a ahine on it that I have never heard anywhere else. Then again, I guess that is what it is all about. When I was laying out my $13.50 for a ticket, this is exactly the kind of thing I hoped to hear.

That "samba beat" is the Tighten Up jam and was quite common in both Dark Star's and Dancin's from late '69 through the end of '70. They pulled it out one last time on 10-31-71 and can be found on DP's 2. Anyway - The DS through Lovelight is about as good as you can get. Well worth the listen.

but unorganizable due to lack of track info. Sweet jams, a few conspicuous trainwrecks.

Some high parts and some low parts. I sort of agree with most of the reviewers, to a degree, and although this is still considered early dead it is beginning to start the long strange trip to a different style of dead. The Dark Star sounds good for the first 15 to 20 minutes then it starts in with some kind of samba beat - what the hell does that have to do with Dark Star - a samba beat - ?

Is Jerry doing the samba in space - with Bobby - and Pig, et al - ?

Sorry, guys, but that just doesn't appeal to me for some strange reason.

Stephen and The Eleven also take a strange turn - but not as strange as the last half of Dark Star.

The Other One is cool! Easy Wind - although not as strong as some of the other versions.

I like Bobby's take on Monkey and the Engineer on this recording.

Pig on Lovelight is strong. So is Hard to Handle - although it is too short here.

All in all, it is a good show - not a strong show - but a good one.

Amazing to hear this first show of 1970 against their New Year's show of two days before - just listen to the difference in sound! It's almost as if the band was consciously going for a new sound at the start of the new decade - probably didn't go down that way, but the sound speaks for itself...

To the early show - prime, prime goods - only problems here being the board itself, which is in need of some serious patches. The Zarathustra overture and beginning of Mason's is patched, so there's an aud out there, right? Some enterprising deadhead want to have a go at that Other One, the end of Charlie, and the beginnings of UJB and Easy Wind? :)

The highlights here are numerous and aren't even really worth decontructing - just a couple of notes - the searing, fantastic, long, winding, driving steer from the Other One castle so perfectly on into Cosmic Charlie has to be heard! And, as others have noted, Tom is a big presence here - check out his work on Dire Wolf, in particular!

Late show is a masterpiece. No disclaimers whatsoever, except, again, for the obvious patch problems - that one between the Star and Stephen is brutal, yes, but not enough to warrant skipping it. This is towering, 100% prime, grade A electric Dead. That Dark Star I think I've listened to a hundred zillion times, and it never, ever gets old. Love how they explored that crashing-armor-mesh-dropping-onto-the-floor negative space after the first verse...

Every now and then on my journey through the past, I hear a DARK STAR that just knocks Little Dave in the dirt and this is one. Do not miss! The whole show is very tasty. Love the MAMA TRIED, OTHER ONE and GOOD LOVIN'. Hendrix left some magic in the room from BAND OF GYPSYS as if they need it.

[comments for the late show, on a date that also had an early show]

One of the greatest Dark Stars and a show that illustrates the Constanten version of the band when he was at his peak influence, for anyone curious about that era. The DS was much circulated for its uniqueness but the show also has a tight Me & My Uncle (albeit there are a ton of these in '70) and a great Eleven. Overall the early show is better.

The DS sounds like a late-70s Space and has a Tighten Up jam. It segues into a decent enough Stephen (with the cannon shot) and then the great extended-jam Eleven. A fast Lovelight begins after a pause!

Overall : C+
3 stars

Don't Miss:
Me & My Uncle
Dark Star>Saint Stephen>The Eleven

Cotsman18120 surpasses other sources I've heard for the late show (the one with Dark Star). hanno12624 is better for the early show.

The Dark Star > Stephen > Eleven > Lovelight is an all-timer. Never mind that the end of Dark Star and the transition into SS is cut ... you know what it sounds like. Everything else is just so good around it, it doesn't really matter.

The Dark Star easily rivals 2/13/70 (yeah, I said it), exploring lots of exciting terrain including a wonderful Tighten Up jam about 22 minute in. The explosion in St. Stephen is supplied by a drummer, I think, and you can hear Garcia and others on stage being blown away by it. At the transition out of the "high green chilly" part of Stephen into the Eleven, Garcia does a little vocalization that suggests to me he is ready to roll, and roll he does. There's a lot to love about this Eleven. To my ears, it's the hottest, tightest version, well elaborated (more than, say, '68 versions) but focused (more than, say, Februaury '69 versions)and powerful. The drummers and band get the little interlude of of the 1-2-3, 1-2-3-4, 1-2-3-4-5BAM! drums runs almost Just Exactly Perfect, one of the only times they really nailed it. It's the combination of all those things that make me prefer it to the other great versions, including the 1/26/69 take on Live Dead. Finally, it's a great Lovelight. I love hearing the band members yell the song out to each other just before Phil drops his big fat bass line (beautifully full on this recording) and sets the stage for Pigpen.

I don't much from the rest of the show, because for over ten years I just keep returning to the Dark Star >> part. Outstanding.

What a great Dark Star! with an amazing jam out of the silence. I sure wish we had the transition into St. Stephen, but whatever, it's still a wave rider. And that fat Eleven for a new year present. Such fun! Just a great show all around.

...anyone reading these comments and then listening to this show is going to be disappointed. Not because of the audio quality (it's surprisingly good) and not because of the music (they were definitely ON that night), but because the very part that everybody seems to be gushing about is missing.

Yeah, maybe it was a great transition from Dark Star to St. Stephen, but you'll never know from this recording...because it cuts off right after Jerry starts singing in DS and doesn't pick up again until after the first verse of SS.

You'd think at least one of the comments would have mentioned it. Or even the original notes (you know, the ones that call it a "complete" show?). Oh well, it's still well worth your time anyway. Just don't be misled by the people who are commenting on the performance rather than the recording.

they may never know so much agaiiin.

great tune, great show

This show would be worth it all simply for the eternally "groovy" "Tighten Up" jam beginning at around 22:48 of Dark Star until the end of the song.

Excellent recording with TC mixed very loud for a change. Every instrument is clearly heard here.

To the kind soul asking about how to donwload... the answer is, err, you already did. If you stream the show and the song loads completely then it is **saved in your temporary internet folder** as a tasty mp3, so you own it now!

I attended the early show (my first for the Dead & the Fillmore East) and was excited by the band's performance after the opening acts (Lighthouse & Cold Blood). 1970 was a good year for the band when they broke into national recognition...great to have documentation of this performance!

These two shows at the Fillmore East are not only fantastic shows, they represent the direction the band adopted throughout the early 70's with their folk-electric style. Aside from that, these shows truly establish the Working Man's Dead material which had been floating in throughout 69, as well as a resurgence of Motown and Blues which had taken a bit(bit) of a backseat during the late 60s. On top of which these shows mark, in my mind at least, the relationship which developed between the Dead and New York, whether at the Fillmore East or Capitol Theater in Port Chester. Whereas the 60's are dominated by San Francisco and the California area, New York is really where the Dead shined during 1970.

Follow the tour: 1970
gratefuldeadlive.blogspot.com

This is a 4.5 star show only because some of the new songs (Cumberland Blues especially) are a tad flubulous. The beginning Zarathustra and initial bits of Masons' Children are from an aud source and the vocals all come out of the right channel (I nitpick, I know). But the good stuff is so good it more than makes up for a few minor mistakes or mix weirdness. The Hard To Handle is dynamite as is the long Love Light, Pig's on for this show. But hot damn, check out the incredible Dark Star, one of those cool 1970 versions where they bring it way down to silence and then build back up again, wow. Mix that with a killer Cryptical and a fine Masons' Children opener and you've got close to pure gold right here. I always loved the Dark Star> St. Stephen> The Eleven transition and I very much like Bob Weirs Monkey And Engineer sung to fill up some time due to technical difficulties. Like I said 4.5 stars warts and all, but it makes no sense to round down so I'm rounding up to 5.

can anyone help me download these shows? Are they legal to download and if so, how do I do it? Thank you

...the kind of show that the audience just sat there in shock at the end,in total awe and reverence...this is how the Legend was built!

i can't believe this psychedelic space MONSTER dark star is in the middle of this show. this is the kind of dark star i stay up at night thinking about (yeah i stay up at night thinking about dark star). i was already head-over-heels for this show and now THIS! one of the brightest darkest stars i've ever heard...god bless the grateful dead, each and every one. other high-points: an absolutely rocking casey jones, short but poignant other one (poignant, what?), beautiful high time, lovelight is wow with a cool little call/answer with bobby. pig is ON! so, to sum up...rocking, spacey, poignant, beautiful, wow, ON!

great comments on the dark star couldnt have put it better myself.
no doubt the dark star>lovelight is 5 stars easily

the first show of 1970 is a monster, and a good omen of some amazing music to come in the next 4 years (i.e., the jams of '72-'74).

the early show is fairly typical, but the first thing striking if that the also sprach zarathustra intro is BADASS! things get much more interesting in the late show, with a great easy wind that has the band flexing their funk. some technical problems lead weir to tell a story with a solo guitar monkey and engineer. once the problems are resolved, weir offers us some "easy listening music" in the epic dark star that follows.
after a few minutes of typical but mellow jamming, the playing dissolves into a very minimal, but textural soundscape - echo, gong, bells, quiet feedback... chilling & foreboding. out of the silence garcia starts picking out a repetitive, eerie lick, with washes of organ providing accompaniment. everyone takes thier time, really feeling out this almost silent, spare section. a subtle re-entry to the dark star theme is followed immediately by an intoxicatingly sunny and optimistic happy groove. soon garcia strumms out a little cosmic charlie theme, and eventually the band launches into a full feelin' groovy jam. excellent, spirited playing which provides a nice resolution from the darker free-form section. st. stephen > eleven > lovelight follows. this fun lovelight features a super melodic, soulful little theme after pigpen's "tear this roof down" schpiel that just makes you want to scream! hell yea! (possibly what liamfinnegan describes as the franklin's tower tease below).

That jam during lovelight definately sounds like a very early franklin's tower rift.

The sound is very crip and jerry guitar is on this night!

For the lucky who were there had to know that this band was turning into a monster. They were truly coming into their own and adding more music and style that no other band has matched yet. Stream this show and you will be looking for a way to copy this on disc. Very good, very mesmerizing. I think 1970 gets a little lost in the shuffle, sandwiched right between '69 and '72 makes it hard to get noticed. It does have it's special moments and deserves a worthy searching through. Start here and you will be glued to your seat for two hours. This show is amazing.

Wow – 5 star…is there anything the Fillmore Este can’t provide?? Sooooo CRISP
Thank you, Pig
JG
Philbert
Micky
Billiam
Bobby
Especially you, Uncle Bill
Tan BUENO, amigos!

(BTW, coolest Dire Wolf EVER?? Maybe, thanks to Pig's keys...jerr's licks...and...AND? --- Yeah, could very well be!)
RESPECT

I neeeeeed to add some of these shows to my collection, and when i right click download it just opens in a new window can anybody help me please?

I really dig any song that i can play in my living room (nice and loud), step into the bathroom, shave, shower, and come back to catch the end of..

Killer Dark Star, really light hearted and optimistic jam.

hendrix played new year's and 1-1-70. was he back stage for this? did he hang with the dead here before moving on to other shows? i'll have to recheck all the lit.

to have attended the fillmore east twice over the span of that holiday weekend would have been mind boggling.

i can only imagine.

tasty licks.

Give it a listen- about 14 minutes 30 seconds minutes into the lovelite- the band starts riffing through a chordal progression that sound remarkably like the beginning of Franklins Tower- i do think the boys would go back and listen to jams and find good ideas for new songs- give it a listen and let me know.

Get past the crummy first couple of reel to reel songs also sprach zarastura is great James Brown was starting shows with this as well at that time.

ESSENTIAL+

Who knew that when pro wrestler Ric Flair began using Also Sprach Zarathrustra as his entrance music, he was copying the Dead?!

Very nice Dark star with some great exploration and outer explorations of the inner conciousness. Excellent jamming in the late set.

This show has the best Black Peter ever and my favourite Lovelight, so listen and get it one way or another!!

What a great jam in the late set. Some of the songs sound slightly off key, but the jam in the late set is great.

What a great jam in the late set. Some of the songs sound slightly off key, but the jam in the late set is great.

Best lovelight i have ever heard. pigpen is on, bobby is on, everybody is working to close the show with a bang. mission accomplished. DOWNLOAD THIS SHOW

What is it about the Dead and the first show of the year? They always seem to do it just exactly perfect. This one is no exception with hot versions of Masons, Casey, Hard to Handle, and Uncle Johns. The Other One is out there and really goes places, and High Time is very well executed. Probably my favorite version they did. The real gem of these shows is the Dark Star. Its way ahead of its time and gets very pretty and spacy (not in the way were all used to)before heading into some very tight playing. It may not be one to introduce people to the Dead and it may not be one you want to pull out when ever you want a fix of the Star, its more of those special occasion ones when your in the mood for something different...something out there. Eleven is hot too with lots of energy in this one. Flaws and all, this may be the show to throw in after New Years to wake you up and start it up all over again! Good start to the 70's!

This show is an acquired taste. I've listened to some great Dark Stars in my time...this is probably the most unique. About 10 minutes of alien sounds....mostly silence - engulfs the beginning of the jam inbetween verses. BUT - once they come out of the trance....it is probably one of the HOTTEST jams i have ever heard the dead play PERIOD. just immaculate. And THEN the song goes into St. Stephen. THE funkiest St. Stephen ever. Just a great funky sound. The Eleven throws you into another universe. Show quality is not bad at all...and worth downloading for the third disk alone.

Something wrong with vocals...much, much too low.

I only have the third disc in hi-fi lossy, but that part of the show is just superb.

Amazing.

I only have the third disc in hi-fi lossy, but that part of the show is just superb.

Amazing.

Who ever is putting up these shows, I love you! The Mason's children is the same as that on Fallout from the Phil zone, it is brilliant! The show is one of the first shows I got and has a special place in my heart, well worth the effort to listen to! ;)